By Jacob Cameron

The Mongoose is a new action film that sees Liam Neeson put his driving skills to the test. Driving to escape the law at any cost. This leads to an occasionally entertaining, but mostly mediocre film.

The Mongoose was directed by Mark Vanselow, who is primarily known for his work in the world of stunts and stunt coordination. With an even greater specificity in that, Vanselow has stunts for Liam Neeson’s films dating back to the first Taken film. Along with Neeson, the film stars Marisa Tomei, Ving Rhames, and Michael Chiklis. It tells the story of Ryan ‘Fang’ Flanagan, played by Neeson, who goes on the run from the law after a violent misunderstanding between his ex-wife, played by Tomei, and her new lover. Fang gets away in a car with a kit-inspired AI software built in and help from his fellow former soldiers.

Liam Neeson has carved out a sizable niche for himself in these action films. This film is one big car chase for the majority of the runtime. And when it is focused on the chase, it is occasionally fun. There are some creative moments with the car; with special praise going to a scene in a junkyard. The chemistry Neeson had with his solder friends was nice as well; the friendship paid dividends towards the end of the film.

The main problem with the film is that the story has a lack of focus; with the film using a lot of flashbacks to Fang’s time in the military and his fights with his ex-wife. Some of these scenes do serve to provide context for why Fang is the way that he is. But the flashbacks could also be incredibly distracting; with some only serving as exposition dumps and nothing more. And another flashback seemingly serving no purpose at all other than to explain that Fang likes Shakespeare.

This is mostly the Neeson show; which is not that great considering the cast that surrounds him. Ving Rhames does have a moment near the end, which is interesting but is mostly just there to react to events that happen around him and largely not interesting. Marisa Tomei only has a handful of scenes and generally feels wasted as far as her talent is concerned. Her character feels very similar to that of Famke Jensen’s role in the Taken films. Divorced from the main character but still harbors intense romantic feelings and is involved in abusive relationships.

Michael Chiklis is also in the film as the sheriff is trying to take down Fang. Think a much less funny Buford T. Justice because the characters are very similar to each other.

Additionally, the CGI is not great and feels unfinished in certain aspects. In a flashback, there is a scene involving a cobra that looked particularly bad.

Ultimately, this was a film that had a good idea, and its heart was in the right place. But the film is not nearly as interesting or well-made as it should be.

🌟 1/2 stars